


Empty Files // Avengers AU

by ileventeen



Series: Avengers AU - Empty Files/Strelka- Agent Of Shield [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Other, Post-Avengers (2012)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-13 06:28:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3371264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ileventeen/pseuds/ileventeen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would you do if you had to give up the ones you loved to protect them? </p><p>Lucy Hite and Astrid Jones have lived in foster care since they can remember. When they find their records, will it lead them to find the people they've being searching for?</p><p>This is a story about risk, about love, about trying to find where you belong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One - Prologue

A.N- this is an AU so no major characters are deceased. 

 

February 4th 2013. 

 

Natasha Romanova and Clint Barton sat in a hospital room, hands held tightly. There was silence. The nurse smiled and handed them a bundle of blankets,   
“Congratulations, its a girl.” They both beam peering down at the tiny human. Six pounds and nine ounces of pure bliss.   
“She’s perfect Tash.” Clint smiled holding the hand of the tiny baby. “Just like her mom.” Natasha smiled and adjusted the blankets.   
“She is, isn’t she?”   
“Do you have a name?” the nurse inquired from across the room.   
“We’re not sure abou-“ Natasha cut Clint off.  
“Strelka. Strelka Romanova Barton.” She nodded in satisfaction.  
“Not more of this Russian crap! Are you even gonna tell me what it means?”  
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Natasha laughed a little. He simply smiled a little and shook his head. Clint loved Natasha more than anything and the thought of spending the rest of his life with her and their daughter gave him butterflies. But he knew there would be no happy ending. Director Fury had made it very clear months ago that they couldn’t keep their child. He said it was for her protection, that people would hurt her to get to the two of them. This concept didn’t shock Clint, he’d seen it happen, but it still caused a dull ache in his chest. The thought he and Natasha would never see their daughter again scared him. He wished he were normal, that they could all have average middle class existences and live happily ever after. But that was a fairytale, and Clint knew all too well that fairy tales didn’t come true.   
This would break Natasha. There was no question about that. Clint knew all too well that it would silently eat her insides and that she would blame herself to no end. He squeezed Tasha's hand and looked down at the infant.   
“Hey there sweetheart.” a tear escaped his eye and ran down his cheek. He laughed a little, “I’m really awful at this soppy stuff, I’m sorry.” He looked up to Natasha and saw she was also on the verge of tears. But he knew she'd keep it together until after the director left. She was just like that, said it made things easier. Clint then remembered what sat in his pocket. He stood up and retrieved a little bag then handed it to Tash.  “Its for her. Open it.” she looked at him in slight confusion before opening the bag and letting the contents fall onto the blankets. It was a necklace. An arrow, the same as Natasha’s. Engraved on it were the words ‘You Are Loved’ in Russian (Вы любимы, pronounced Vy lyubimy). Natasha smiled and kissed his cheek.    
“Its perfect. Thank you Clint.” He sat back in his seat and held her hand again.  
“I’m glad you like it Nat. Something for her to remember us by, right?” she sighed and nodded.   
“Yeah. To remember us by…”   
Clint was about to speak again when Director Fury appeared in the doorway. They both nodded at him as he walked in, he nodded back.  
“How is she?” he asked stopping a dozen feet away from the pair.  
“She’s perfe-“ Clint was cut off.   
“She’s fine, sir.” he could see that she was already trying to emotionally distance herself. He knew this wasn’t going to end well for any of them.  
“Natasha, showing affection doesn’t make you a bad agent.” he sighed a little, “Whats her name?”   
“Strelka. Nat picked it.” Clint squeezed her hand reassuringly. She could sweet talk her way out of anything so her bluntness and silence worried him. He could see she was already cracking, but there wasn't much he could do now. He knew one of them had to try keep it together. Fury nodded.   
“She looks like you both.” Fury ran his hand over his head. “You know I don’t want to do this.”   
“Then don’t.” She looked up at him coldly, her tone flat and to the point.   
“Natasha I’m sorry. If there was any other way I would-“   
“How come Stark can keep his son but we can’t keep her.” Natasha bit the inside of her lip as a means to keep calm. She was cracking. She never cracked.  
“You know its different for Stark. He’s not a full time agent. There are hundreds of factors at work here. I’m sorry, but if you want her to be safe you have no alternative.” Fury sighed, he knew this would happen some time. Clint stepped in before Natasha lost her composure,  
“If it’ll keep her safe, we haven’t got a choice Nat. We’ve gotta think about her.” Natasha looked down at the sleeping child,  
“If anything happens to her Fury I swear to god…” He intervened.   
“I swear on my life she will be kept safe. In the end, we have to put whats best for her ahead of what’s best for you two.” She didn't look up.  
“Alright. For her.” She kissed the baby’s forehead and muttered for a moment before passing her to Clint. Her eyes were glued on the child.  
“Stay safe, Strelka. We won’t stop thinking about you.” He told her, fighting back tears. He got up and handed her to Fury along with the necklace.  
“Make sure it stays with her?” He asked. Fury nodded.  
“Of course Clint. You two are relieved of active duty until your ready. I am sorry.” He adjusted his grip on the child and walked out. Clint turned back to Natasha to see tears running down her face. He sat (on the bed) and put an arm around her.   
“I feel like we’ve made the worst mistake, Clint.” she whispered. He tucked back her hair.  
“I know sweetheart. Come on, lets get you home.”

 

Four months later, Thor came to Director Fury with another child.   
He looked tired and was dressed in civilian clothes, which surprised Fury.  
 “Thor, Come in to my office.” He opened the door and the Asgardian walked in holding the blankets in his arms tightly. Fury shut the door behind them and sat back at his desk.  
“What can I do for you?” He asked, already having a feeling as to what was about to happen. Thor sat opposite the director,  
“Sir, I’m in need of your help.” He stopped, contemplating.   
“Go on…” Fury told him.  
“I… well, Jane and I… we have a child.” He smiled a little, Fury did the same.  
“Congratulations.”   
“Thank you,” he continued, “As Jane is in your protection, she can’t look after her and well… If I took her back to Asgard they would-“ He stopped, “She would not be safe. Is there any way that SHIELD could protect her? Until she’s old enough to understand.” Fury nodded almost instantaneously.  
 “Of course. We’ll make sure she’s looked after.” Thor sighed in relief,   
“Thank you, Director Fury. I must know however, where will you keep her?” “She’ll be sent to a home. Away from New York, where we know she’ll be cared for.”   
“But what is this place? On Asgard we…” he looked down, “you know what we do on Asgard…” Fury felt sorry for the god, this was the most human he had ever seen him.  
“It’s a home for children who can’t stay with their families. Not a SHIELD training facility or anything like that. Clint and Natasha’s daughter is already being taken care of there. We’ll also give her a tracker in her forearm so we can keep an eye on her.” Thor nodded again and looked down at the child.  
“Will we see her again?” Fury nodded a little,   
“When she’s grown up, yes. You and Jane can meet her then.” A tear rolled down Thor’s cheek as the baby held his finger. He laughed a little,  
“You’re a good man, Nick.” He said, not taking his eyes off his daughter.   
“Would you like a minute with her?” Thor nodded and Fury left the room. He stood outside and sighed to himself, knowing that he had to treat his team differently wasn’t a concept he was fond of. In the end however, it had to be about the kids. He waited a few minutes more before coming back into the office. Thor looked up at him red eyed and smiled a little,  
“Make sure she’s looked after, Director. I’m counting on you.”   
“She will be Thor, don’t worry.” Thor sniffed and looked at his daughter one last time.   
“Until we meet again, Astrid.” He kissed her tiny forehead before handing her to Fury along with a book.   
“Could you make sure it stays with her?” Fury nodded as he took the child.  
“Of course. Go get some rest, Thor.” The men both nodded at each other and parted ways. 

Fury took the child to Chicago and left her at the home where Strelka, now Lucy Hite, was being cared for. The staff gave her the last name Jones, as the note with her only said ‘Astrid’ as a means of protecting her. Astrid kept the book with her, Lucy’s necklace was kept safely in her file; and the two girls were left to grow up, unaware of who and what their parents were.


	2. First Encounter

Some time in 2023

 

Astrid and Lucy were in fourth graders by this point. Although neither had any idea about who their parents were or what they’re like, both girls had inherited uncanny qualities from them.  Astrid was smart and quiet like her mother and as kind hearted as her father. She was strong minded and brilliant and tended to stay under the radar and enjoyed her own company. Lucy on the other hand had her parents killer instinct. She was strong, determined and slightly manipulative which got her into her fair share of trouble. She didn't have any ‘friends’ to speak of but was always in competition with the boys in the home. She was also sensitive but no one would have told that looking at her.   
Astrid and Lucy knew of each other but had never really spoken. That was about to change.

It was a Tuesday in the spring. Astrid was sitting on the playground steps reading a book when a group of boys, the school bullies, came over.  
“Hey, what’re you reading nerd?” one said snatching the book from her hands.  
“A brief history of astrolology,” another read from the cover, “wow you're lame.” Astrid stood,  
“Give back my book please.” she asked quietly. They laughed and dropped the book in a puddle.  
“What’re you gonna do? Call your mommy? Oh wait, you haven’t got one, do you runt?” they laughed again and one of them pushed her over.   
Lucy saw the boys from the other side of the playground and recognized Astrid. She walked over and planted herself between Astrid and the boys.  
“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, Owen?” she raised an eyebrow.  
“What’re you gonna do about it shortie? kick me in the shins?” the boys laughed again.  
“This is your only chance. Give her book back and apologize.” She glared up at them. A few of the boys backed up.   
“Who died and made you queen? I don’t have to answer to you. Why should I listen to a word you say if your parents don’t even want you, Lucy?” Owen smirked. Lucy’s stare narrowed and the next second her fist collided with the side of his face. He stumbled back and fell over.  
“I told you that you had one chance, Owen.” She shrugged. Lucy retrieved the book from the puddle and helped Astrid off the ground. Astrid brushed herself off then took the book and started wiping it off with her sleeve.  
“Thank you. I’m Astrid by the way. My room is down the hall.” Lucy picked up her backpack.   
“Lucy…” she replied. Across the asphalt Owen’s friends were telling the deputy principal that she’d punched him in the face. She sighed a little, “I gotta go.”    
“I guess I’ll see you around then.” Astrid smiled at the shorter girl pushing up her glasses.   
“Yeah. Sure. Stay away from those guys.” She replied before being dragged off by the vice principal. Astrid smiled a little to herself,maybe she wasn’t as mean as everyone said she was. 

That night Astrid returned from her after school trip to the library to hear yelling from the meeting room. She was curious so she put her ear up to the door and listened.  
“Lucy we told you this, no more fighting! If we can’t find someone who’s willing to share a room with you, or if this happens again, then we’ll have to transfer you to a bigger home where they can deal with you easier.” Miss Agnes, the lady in charge, was the one talking. Astrid thought for a moment. The other girls in her dorm were rude and didn't let her read with the light on. Lucy was nice to her and saved her from those boys and a library fine. It was simple really. She gripped her pile of books tightly and knocked on the door.  
“Yes? come in,” Miss Agnes called. Astrid opened the door just enough and stood just inside.  
“I’ll share with Lucy. I don’t like my dorm anyway.” Miss Agnes sighed a little,  
“Are you sure Astrid? Once you agree you can’t change.” Astrid nodded.  
“Yeah. I’m sure. I can handle it.” She put some papers into her drawer.  
“Alright. Go get your things, you can have the empty room on the end of the first floor.” They both nodded and walked out.   
“Thanks for saving my as-butt back there.” Lucy told her as they walked up the stairs.  
“It’s no problem. The girls in my dorm are rude anyway.” Astrid assured.  
“Same. I guess I’ll see you at our broom closet.” Lucy walked into her dorm and collected her things, Astrid did the same. They both met at the empty room.   
“You pick first. I don’t mind what side I stay on.” Astrid said as they opened the door. The room was small and slightly dusty with a bed either side of the window. Lucy flicked the light on.  
“I’ll take this one I guess.” She said putting her things down. Astrid did the same on the other bed. They opened the window to let some of the dust out and began unpacking their things. Astrid pulled out a notebook and put it under her pillow.  
“What’s in that?” Lucy raised an eyebrow slightly before kicking off her shoes.  
“It’s the book my parents left with me. Its got a note from them in the front and I write all the books I read from the library in it.” Astrid smiled a little and brushed off the cover. “Do you know what happened to your parents?”   
“No…” Lucy looked down and shrugged, “Does your note say?”   
“You wanna see?” She opened the front of the book and showed her the two sets of handwriting scrawling across the page.   
“What’s it say? It’s too loopy to read…” Astrid took the book back and pushed up her glasses.  
“Dear Astrid, we are writing this to let you know that we love you very much and we’re sorry we can’t see you. It’s safer for you to live away from us for now but when you’re older we will help you understand. That’s where my moms handwriting ends, then my dad wrote: We love you very much and won’t stop thinking about you. Stay safe and we will see you again soon. Love, Your parents. Then down the bottom there are some Norse symbols, But I haven’t worked out why they’re there yet.” She smiled a little and shut the book.   
“How do you know who’s handwriting is who’s?” Lucy asked not looking up from the paperclip she was bending. Astrid shrugged,   
 “I just know. You know what else is really cool?”  
 “Ice?” Lucy added sarcastically, looking up, “I’m joking,” she sighed a little, “What else is cool, Astrid?”   
“Whenever I think the book is gonna run out of pages, it never does. More of them always appear. Its like some sorta magic.” Lucy raised an eyebrow.   
“Yeah. Sure. Sorry but I don’t believe in magic or fairy tales.”   
“That’s alright. I don’t really either. I just think it’s weird.” Astrid shrugged before yawning, “I think I’m gonna go to bed.” “Me too.” Lucy curled up in a ball and faced the wall.   
“Night Lucy.” Astrid said turning off the light.  
“Night Astrid.”


	3. Chapter Three - Best Friends Means Forever

February 4th, 2029. 

 

Lucy shook Astrid in an attempt to wake her.  
"Astrid. Wake up." She whispered, a hundred butterflies in her stomach. Astrid groaned a little and sat up.   
“What… What time is it..."   
"It's 10 to 5 and we're gonna go get our files." She stood up and began fidgeting.   
"But it's so early, Lucy.” Astrid rolled out of bed and landed with a thud. “Ouch."  
"Come on, we've had this planned for weeks. Let's go figure out who our parents are." Lucy couldn’t stay still. The idea that she might actually find out who her parents were was amazing beyond imagination.  
“Alright alright.” Astrid said getting off the floor, picking up her glasses before standing up. “Alright, I’m good now.” Lucy walked across the room and put her hand on the door handle.  
"And Lucy?" Astrid said. She turned.   
“Yeah Astrid?”   
"Happy birthday." 

 

The girls quietly walked downstairs and picked the lock on the office door.   
"You go J I'll go H." Lucy whispered handing her a torch. Astrid nodded and they found the correct drawers. Taking their files, they quietly made their way back up to their room, shutting all the doors behind them. Both the girls found it hard to stay quiet walking back upstairs. They got to their room and locked the door before looking at each other.  
"We open them together?" Astrid suggested.   
"Yeah." Lucy nodded, "On three?"   
"One." Astrid started.  
"Two..." Lucy continued.  
"Three." They said together and opened the envelopes.   
The girls eyes both scanned their files, following each line meticulously as if it were a murder mystery and they had to find the clues. They both got to the bottom and Astrid smiled. Lucy sighed and sat looking down on her bed.  
“Anything?” Astrid looked over at the other girl hopefully. Not looking up, she shook her head.   
“Nothing. All I know is that Lucy Hite isn’t even my damn name.” She bit her lip and threw the file across the room. The necklace (which Lucy had missed) flew out and hit the wall with a clink before falling to the floor.   
“I’m sure y- hey what was that?” Astrid stood up and picked up the paper and the necklace. “Did you see this in there?” She handed Lucy the necklace and put the file back in the envelope. Lucy examined the necklace.   
“No… but it says something here, see?” She pointed at the inscription. “It looks like Russian… We can find someone to tell you what it says. Right?” Lucy nodded, her eyes fixated on the necklace. She looked at it for a minute or so longer before putting it around her neck.   
“What’d yours say, Astrid?” Astrid smiled a little,  
“It has my mom’s name and where she works. It says its just outside Albuquerque in New Mexico. She has a different last name than I do though, it's weird.” She showed Lucy the paper.    
“Well then… What’re we waiting for? We should go find her.” Astrid looked at Lucy in disbelief for a moment, Lucy was completely serious.   
“But that’s over 1300 miles away Lucy. How would we do that?” Lucy handed back the paper before standing up on the bed. She removed one of the roof panels and pulled down a box. Upon opening the box, Astrid could see it was full of money.   
“I’ve got cash. We can go to New Mexico if you want to.” Astrid smiled, she didn't want to ask Lucy where she got the money from.   
“Lucy, you're the best.” She hugged the smaller girl for a moment before remembering she wasn't a huge fan of hugs and letting go. “Sorry. I just… Thank you. When can we leave?” Lucy pulled her backpack out from under her bed and began putting the money into different parts.    
“As soon as we get our things together. And its okay.” She opened the closet and started pulling out some of her things. Astrid couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She got out her backpack too and began getting her things. She was going to find her mother, this was the moment she’d waited for her whole life. 

A.N- Please let me know what you think so far. This story is my labor of love. Update soon. xoxoRiley


	4. Chapter Four - Metamorphasis

The girls climbed out the window and onto the street, the cold February air surrounding them. Astrid was still smiling relentlessly and Lucy knew the look wouldn't disappear anytime soon. She was happy for Astrid, really happy, but the resentment and disappointment of her own was still there. For someone who knew nothing about her parents, she hated them an awful lot at that point. The idea of not finding them had dawned on her many times before, she’d accepted it in fact. But the files led her to hope, and she knew that was a dangerous thing to do. She was interrupted from her train of thought by Astrid.   
“Lucy, won’t they look for us because we’re gone?” Lucy had thought about this earlier and she had a plan.   
“Yeah but they’ll be looking for the us you see now.” Astrid looked at her in confusion but decided to just go with it. Lucy was grateful of this. She didn’t like talking hugely, but she knew she’d have to do a lot more of it. 

They walked another half dozen blocks before winding up at a 24 hour convenience store. Lucy knew from previous experience that this store had no security cameras, which was a good thing. They entered and Lucy led Astrid to the hair products where a dozen different dyes sat.   
“Alright, pick a colour.” Lucy told her, motioning to the different dyes. Astrid looked over them for a moment, she knew her long blonde hair would be easy to identify so she reached for a black dye bottle. Lucy raised an eyebrow at her,  “Are you sure? It’s a big change.” She simply nodded,  
“Yeah, I’ve always kinda wanted black hair.” Lucy nodded back and picked up the auburn coloured dye. They got some scissors and paid before continuing down the street. Astrid had a thousand questions running through her mind but she didn’t want to annoy Lucy. She knew she wasn’t a big fan of lots of talking. She was more of a planner and Astrid knew that she would have everything planned out.   
The two girls wound up at the back of a small restaurant and Lucy picked the door. Again, no cameras. They took out the scissors and dye and lay them on the edge of the large sink.   
“Alright, how short are you gonna let me cut yours?” Lucy asked, opening the scissor packet with her pocket knife. Astrid looked at her reflection in the glass splash back.  
“Shoulder length?” Her hair reached three quarters of the way down her back currently so there would be a lot of it to come off. Lucy nodded.  “Are you 100% sure about this? This is your last chance to back out. There’s no turning back from here.” Astrid nodded, slowly at first then more confidently.  “If it means I can meet my mom, I’ll do anything.” Lucy picked up the scissors and in one cut Astrid’s ponytail was gone. “My head feels so light now.” Astrid smiled a little more. Lucy put down the scissors and the hair.   
“It suits you. I’ll dye it now, then you can tell me if you want a fringe.”   
“Alright. Thanks.” Astrid replied sitting down on a milk crate. Lucy began and within an hour they both had coloured hair.   
“Alright, fringe or no fringe?” Astrid bit her lip,  “Fringe. Because of the glasses.” She tapped the frames a little. Lucy retrieved a hair brush from her bag and cut the fringe into her hair. “It looks good.” She said before putting the new hairs in the pile. Astrid smiled more, if that was even possible.  “Thanks. Are you cutting yours or leaving it the same?” Lucy pulled on hers in a few different spots.  
“I’ll cut it. But its already just below my shoulders so I’ve gotta be careful.” Astrid nodded, standing up and brushing herself off.  
“The colour looks good.” Lucy nodded mindlessly before picking up the scissors. Her hair became shorter and messier with a few more curls. She shook it out then nodded,  
“It’ll do. Can you get the backpacks?” She asked, scooping up all the hair and putting it in a bucket. Astrid did as Lucy said and followed her outside. Lucy tipped the hair into an empty oil drum before covering it with newspaper and pulling a lighter out of her pocket.  
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Astrid asked, stepping back a little. Lucy shrugged before lighting the newspaper. The flames leapt up almost instantly and began to crackle. Lucy took her backpack back from Astrid and deposited her lighter.  “Lets go.” She said before starting to walk off. Astrid followed closely behind, looking back a few times to make sure no one was following them down the alley. This was it, Astrid was finally going to find her parents.


	5. Chapter Five - You Are Loved

After convincing the ticket office guy that they were doing to visit their sick grandmother, the pair boarded a bus to Kansas City. They were both largely silent the whole trip as neither of them had much to say to each other. Astrid couldn’t stop thinking about her mother in Albuquerque. What was she like? Would her dad be there too? She read over their note a hundred times and thought about what to say to them for hours. Lucy on the other hand, spent the time thinking. She went over 10,000 scenarios in her head trying to work out why her parents gave her up. She knew they couldn’t have died because if they did, she’d have a name. Sighing, she mindlessly played with her necklace. When they got to Kansas City, she was going to work out what it said. At least it was something, right? 

After a long 7 hours, the girls arrived in Kansas City. The bus to Albuquerque didn’t leave until the following morning so they had the later part of the afternoon to kill. They walked through the city and found a small motel where they got a room. The owners were helpful, and told them where they could find a lady who fluently spoke Russian (as they were German themselves). No one asked them who they were or why they were there, which was a bonus. They took the address and a map and began walking. After almost an hour of wrong turns and walking one street too many, they found the right street. Three quarters of the way down, there was a small store with Russian writing in the window.  “That looks like the place.” Astrid said, smiling slightly.  
“No shit…” Lucy stood for a moment just staring. Astrid put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, lets go figure out what it says.”   
The two girls walked in.   
“Hi, we were told to come and see Vera?” Astrid told the man at the counter. He nodded,  
“About some Russian, I presume?” He stood. “My name is Fredrik, Vera is my mother. I’ll go get her.” He nodded at the girls and walked out.  
“That was easy.” Astrid said, trying to lighten the mood. Lucy’s anxiety was through the roof. She started fiddling with the zipper on her jacket and picking at the seams. She was about to have the first unofficial contact with her parents in her whole life, and that idea slightly terrified her.   
Fredrik walked back in followed by an elderly lady, mid eighties, typical grandma look about her. She smiled at the girls and sat down.  “What can I do for you both?” she asked, her accent was thick and Russian which wasn't at all surprising.   
“I uh… I need to know what the Russian on this necklace says.” Lucy bit her lip and took it off, handing it to her. Vera put on her glasses and held it up to the light.   
“On the arrow, yes?” Lucy nodded. The old woman turned the charm and squinted a little before nodding to herself.   
“Well dear, it says ‘Vy lyubimy’.” Astrid and Lucy looked at each other.  
“Do you know what the translation of that is, miss?” Astrid fixed her glasses. The old woman laughed a little to herself,   
“Yes, of course. ‘Vy lyubimy’ means ‘you are loved’.” She handed the necklace back to Lucy. Lucy smiled a little and nodded,   
“Thank you.” She put the necklace back on.   
“It’s no trouble dear. I hope that helped.”

Lucy and Astrid thanked them and walked back to the motel in silence. They walked into the room and put their bags down as their stomachs growled.   
“Do you wanna order some room service while I shower?” Lucy asked not looking up from her bag. She had a thousand emotions built up inside her but she didn't want Astrid to see her crack. Astrid simply nodded and sat down, smiling a little at her. Lucy got her stuff and walked into the bathroom.

 

Astrid sat and watched TV for a half hour until the pizza came. She went to knock on the door of the bathroom to tell Lucy but she could her quiet sobs. She sighed a little, knocking lightly.   
“Luce, pizzas here.” there was silence for a moment.  
“Alright. Gimmie a minute.” Lucy replied before turning the water off. Astrid sat back down, turning down the TV volume a little. Lucy emerged a few minutes later.   
"My hair made it look like a murder scene in there." She said putting her things back in her bag before sitting. They both started eating the pizza and watching the news in silence.   
"What'd Tony stark do this time?" Lucy asked, motioning to his image on the TV screen.  
"Apparently his kid was arrested. And people want him to be held responsible for what iron man does in the avengers." Astrid shrugged picking up a napkin, "So basically the usual." Lucy rolled her eyes a little,  
"People still think the avengers are real? Their only super power is the ability to put up with Stark."   
"I dunno Lucy, they've saved the world quite a few times." Astrid shrugged, "But that's just what they say on TV, who'd ever know?" Lucy picked up the remote and changed channels,  
"Sorry, his ego was pissing me off."   
"That's alright. What times the bus tomorrow?"   
"It leaves at 7. So we'll get there tomorrow night then the next day we can see your mom." Astrid smiled a little and nodded,  
"Cool. Thanks." Lucy shrugged,  
"You'd do the same for me."


	6. Chapter Six - Meanwhile In New York

Meanwhile in New York.

The avengers were all sat around on the helecarrier, tired from the days mission.  
“Well, I need a drink.” Tony said reaching into the mini fridge next to him, “Anyone else? Clint?” They all nodded and Steve passed them around.  “That was a long day…” Bruce said taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, “We’re all getting too old for this.”   
“Speak for yourself.” Tony said, grabbing some magnetic darts from the top of the mini fridge and starting to throw them at Bucky’s arm.   
“You guys are lucky, I keep getting calls from Miles’ school. It’s ridiculous really. I mean, they know that I’m working. They know how to get hold of Pepper. Honestly would it kill them to use a little common courtesy?” Steve sighed and started pulling the darts off Bucky’s arm.  
“Yeah, I wonder.” He said quietly. Tony threw a few more and Bucky clenched his fists,   
 “Could you cut it out? You're behaving like a child.” He threw up his hands in defense.   
“Alright tough guy… Jeese… seriously though, what should I do about him? I mean, he's brilliant. A chip off the old block, really. But he just… doesn’t play well with others.” Clint muttered something to himself causing Thor to quietly laugh.  
“Anyone apart from bird brain? Bruce, you have a kid. What do I do about him?”   
“Isabella isn't a problem at all so I wouldn't know, she's the opposite in fact. Sorry Tony.” Tony got out of his seat and started pacing, mumbling to himself as he let the ice slide from one side of his glass to the other with a clink. Natasha tracked him for a few paces, clenching her jaw.   
“Could you stop? Or do you still completely disregard the feelings of anyone else in this room?” He looked up at her with a look of fake surprise on his face.   
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forget, who died and made you queen, Natasha? Someones in a bad mood today… Jeese…” Tony continued pacing before Natasha leapt up and stood in front of him.  “Sit. Down.” Tony looked up at her and smirked,   
“I’m gonna try figure out why you're in a bad mood,” He said, starting to walk around her. “It’s not birdy boy, you two are fine on that front… It’s not work because there’s no pressure on any of us at the moment… ah! I’ve got it!” He stopped in front of her, “You're feeling guilty because you abandoned your kid and you're displaying that as anger.” She glared at him, completely still for a moment. “That’s it! I knew I’d figure it out. Natasha, there’s no point in letting it out on us, it’s not our fault that you two chose to never see your daughter again. What was her name? Streela… Strolga… Strelka. That was it. Little Strelka.” Natasha was engulfed by fury. The next few seconds were a blur. But she knew that she slapped Stark, hard. He fell to the floor. Fists clenched, she stormed out before she killed him. He had no damn right to talk to her like that. The others looked at him in silence. He sat up rubbing his face,   
“She has some serious anger management issues.” Clint stood up handing, Thor his beer.  
“Who gave you the damn right to talk to her like that? Huh?! You think you're so fucking important with your stupid suit and your tower and the kid that SHIELD let you keep, you think you're better than the rest of us. Well I’ve got news for you, buddy; you're not any better than us. In fact, you're a shit head. You can’t go around being an asshole to the people who’ve saved your life MULTIPLE times and expect to be treated like gods gift to fucking man. If you mess with her again, I’ll have you hanging from the top of your stupid tower by your pant leg. Alright?! Lay off her! And the rest of us too!” Shaking with rage, Clint stormed out after Natasha. The others sat in silence for a moment before all standing up. “He’s right Tony, watch yourself.” Bruce told him. The others nodded in agreement and walked out. 

 

Clint managed to find Natasha, hiding in the gym. She was throwing kicks and punches at the bag like crazy. He stood a few feet from the side of the bag,  
“Tasha…” she stopped and looked at him, red eyed.   
“I’m sorry..” She sighed. He came and put an arm around her.   
“Don’t be sorry. Alright? It’s not your fault.” She shrugged him off,  
“It is Clint.” She threw a left hook, “If I weren’t so crap at being a real person…” A right cross, she hit it a few more times before resting a head on his shoulder, “I’m a cold blooded killer. That’s all they ever trained me to be… That’s why you're better at this than I am. You can be a person. I’m just a file covered in red.” Clint put an arm around her again.   
“Don’t say that Nat.”   
“It’s her birthday today. She’s sixteen.” She smiled a little, “I wonder what she looks like.” Clint brushed a piece of hair out of her eye,   
“She’ll be just as beautiful as her mother. We’ll find her Natasha, I promise.”  
“I just… Miss her.” She signed and kissed his cheek, “Thank you, Clint.”   
“You know I’d do anything for you. Come on, you should sleep.” Natasha didn’t argue and simply nodded as Clint steered her towards her bunk. He put her into bed and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light. He kissed her forehead before walking up to the kitchen. Hardly anyone went in there at this time of night so it was a good place to hide. It was less than two minutes before he was backed into the corner with tears rolling down his face. Clint knew there was nothing wrong with crying, but he couldn’t in front of Natasha. He’d watched her slowly crumble over the last sixteen years and he was her rock. If she saw him crack, he knew it would finish her off. So he built himself an illusion, an imaginary wall where all his negative emotion was stored until Natasha wasn't around. It wasn't healthy, but he knew he had to do it. 

Bucky had a talent for finding him like this. Three times in that many weeks so far. Clint was never overly embarrassed, he was just thankful it wasn't Fury or Stark who found him. He wouldn’t have minded if it were Steve or Thor either, but Clint felt as if Bucky understood him.   
“You wanna talk about it, Clint?” Bucky asked placing his normal hand on his shoulder. Clint shrugged a little,   
“It’s just… I can’t help thinking Nat would’ve been better off without me. I mean, everything with Strelka just… broke her.” Bucky looked at Clint sympathetically.  “Clint, if it weren’t for you she’d still be a Soviet, buddy. You saved her life. Without you, who knows where she’d be. And what happened with Strelka isn’t your fault. It’s no ones fault, really. It sucks to Asgard and back, but you guys did it to protect her. You guys could be mourning her right now. Just remember that you’re not the bad guy, Clint; you’re the opposite.” He smiled a little at the smaller man. Clint smiled a little too,   
“Thanks, James. Do you think we’ll find her?” Bucky passed him a tissue,  “Steve and I found each other again. Stranger things have happened, man. You should get some rest, you look like a corpse.” Clint laughed a little,  
“You’re right. Don’t stay up too late Bucky, more saving the world to do tomorrow.” The two smiled at each other and bumped fists before parting ways. Clint thanked all Asgard for Bucky.


	7. Chapter Seven - Darcy Lewis

Two days later, the girls set out to the address on Astrid’s paper. After ‘acquiring’ a map, they found the right street and headed in that direction. After much walking, hey wound up in the industrial part of town. All the buildings had big barbed wire fences around them and guards. The one they were looking for, number 87, had no guard box at the entry, only an intercom. Astrid pressed the buzzer and a few seconds later, a voice came through.   
“Yes? How can I help you.”  “Hi, I’m looking for Doctor Jane Foster?” there was silence for a moment.   
“Doctor Foster hasn’t worked here in sixteen years.”  “Oh…” Astrid’s face dropped. The intercom came on and there was muffled talking for a moment,  “Someone will be out in a moment. Please wait where you are.” They both looked at each other in confusion. A few minutes later, a woman in her late 20s or early 30s drove up and opened the gate.  “You’re the girls looking for Jane?” She asked. Astrid nodded, “Hop in then.” she smiled a little at them. They both reluctantly got in the car. The woman laughed a little, “You remind me of her.” She said looking at astrid before starting to drive.   
“I don’t mean to be rude but… Who are you?” Astrid asked concerned. The woman laughed again,  
“Damn me, horrible at introductions. My names Darcy Lewis, I know your mother.” Astrid smiled a little then stopped,  “Wait, how did you…” She shrugged,  “Your mother was a friend of mine once. I knew you’d show up one day. Astrid, right?”  
“Yeah, that’s me. This is my friend Lucy.” Darcy nodded a little at her, Lucy nodded back. “Did you girls have to travel far?” She turned a corner and they were back in the suburbs, headed towards town.   
“We got in from Chicago last night.”  “That’s a long way… Are you hungry?” They both nodded, neither of them knew how much farther they might have to travel so anything for free was very much appreciated. Darcy pulled up outside a 50s style diner and killed the engine. “We brought your dad here when he first came to town.” She told them as they got out. They went inside and sat.   
“Is my mom still in New Mexico?” Darcy shook her head,  “She had to move, because of your dad, they’re both in New York.” Astrid nodded, yet again unable to stop smiling. Lucy smiled a little to herself and looked down at the menu.   
“What’re they like? My parents.” Darcy took off her glasses, thinking of the right words.   
“Well your mom would do anything to help someone else. So would your dad. She’s smart and kind and everything you’d ever wanna be.” Astrid tried to contain her excitement.  “Do you know where I can find them in New York?” before Darcy could answer, the waiter came over and they ordered. Darcy pulled out some paper from her bag,  “Do you have a pen?” Astrid pulled one out and handed it to her, “Thanks. Now, you can’t give anyone else her address at all. Either of you guys, alright? She moved because of some… incidents. It’s better if you just keep it a secret from other people. Yeah? Sorry I can’t tell you more.” She handed Astrid the paper. Astrid nodded,  
“Alright. We won’t, I understand. Thank you.” Darcy smiled and sipped her beer, “It’s no problem honey. Honestly.”   
The three of them ate and Astrid asked questions about what Darcy (and her mother, previously) did in terms of science. Darcy answered everything as best as she could as Astrid reminded her of both her parents. They all finished eating.  “Can I do anything else for you two? Or are you guys gonna see when you can head out?”   
“We’re gonna see when we can start going to New York.” Lucy said. “Thank you for everything, Darcy.” Astrid added. She smiled,  
“It’s no problem. You two stay safe and tell your mom I say hi, alright?” Astrid nodded,  
“Of course.”   
Darcy said goodbye to the girls before getting back in her car and drove off.  “So, New York?” Lucy asked, turning to Astrid.   
“New York.” She nodded in agreement. 

A.N- This is a short chapter but another will come soon I promise.


	8. Chapter Eight - Trackers

The two boarded a bus to Oklahoma City an hour later and early the next morning, one to Indianapolis. When the girls arrived they began walking to find a motel as their bus to New York didn’t leave until the morning.   
“Excuse me?” A voice was heard from behind them.   
“Yes?” Astrid asked. They both turned. There were a half dozen people there dressed in dark clothing with a strange emblem on their jackets.   
“Which one of you is Strelka?” they both looked at each other in confusion.   
“Uh… Neither of us?” Lucy said skeptically,  
“You must have the wrong people. Sorry.” Astrid added.   
“Well, your forearms tell us otherwise.” They both looked down at their arms and a red light had appeared under their skin. Lucy noticed that the people were carrying guns.   
“What the…” Astrid looked at in awe. Lucy backed up a little,   
“Astrid? Run.” Both girls bolted off down the street and the unknown group chased after them.   
“No one shoot, they said they want them alive!” One yelled at the others. Lucy and Astrid ran around a corner and another, into an alley. They hid behind some dumpsters until they saw their armed hunters run past. It just so happened there was a doctors surgery that backed onto the alley.  
“We haven’t got long, stay here I’ll be right back.” Lucy jumped up and broke the flimsy lock on the door. She grabbed bandages, antiseptic, surgical needles and thread, and the only vile of local anesthetic they had before running back out.   
“Astrid come on.” She urged, stashing the goods in her backpack. They got up and ran back in the direction they’d just come from until they found an abandoned building. “In here.” Lucy said grabbing Astrid’s arm. They went in and found a table and chair. Lucy pulled the things out of her backpack.  “God knows how, but someones tracking us. We have to get rid of these things.” She took out the anesthetic and drew it into the new needle. It only filled it once. “This’ll sting for a second, alright?” Astrid nodded and bit her lip. Lucy injected the anesthetic and Astrid squeaked. “I’m sorry Astrid, but it’ll help just give it a minute.” She poured some antiseptic over her knife. “It’s better if you don’t look.” She told her. Astrid nodded and looked away. “Did you feel that?” Lucy asked.  
“Feel what?” Astrid looked back over to see Lucy had made a small incision over the light.   
“I told you not to look, Astrid.” She nodded and looked back away. The next thing she knew, Lucy was wrapping her arm with a bandage. She smiled a little,  “Thanks Lucy.” Lucy shrugged,   
“It’s no problem.” she said taking off her belt, “Can I sit?” Astrid nodded, looking at her in confusion. Then, it clicked in her head.  “You’re not gonna do that without anesthetic, are you?” Lucy poured more antiseptic over the knife. “I haven’t really got a choice, they only had one vial and it needs to come out.” Astrid tried to argue back but Lucy was already biting her belt. “Don’t look.” She said, muffled. Not wanting to upset her so they fought and the people found them again, she did as Lucy said and turned away. There was a squeak then about 10 seconds later, the clink of the tracker being dropped on the table. Lucy started stitching herself back up before spitting out the belt and wrapping it with a bandage.  
“How’re we gonna destroy them?” Astrid asked. She was only slightly impressed by Lucy’s toughness, she just cut herself open and pulled something out of her arm for Christ's sake! Lucy put her belt back on and packed the things back into her bag. She then dropped the trackers and stepped on them, causing them to shatter and the lights to go out. The girls both picked up their bags silently and began to leave the house.  “Your mum has some serious fucking explaining to do.”


	9. HYDRA vs SHIELD

Late the next day, the girls arrived in New York. However, HYDRA was waiting for them. 

In the secret HYDRA base 

The girls both woke up from their drug-induces sleep in a concrete cell.  
“Where the fuck are we?!” Lucy exclaimed, looking around the dungeon.   
“Lucy, I’m scared.” Astrid said, shrinking back into the wall. Lucy took a deep breath,  
“I know Astrid. But we’re gonna get outta here and find your mom, I promise.”   
Three guards walked down the stairs, laughing. They stopped when they saw the girls awake.   
“I’ll go tell him.” One of them said before jogging back up the stairs. The other two looked at them through the bars.  “It could be either of them.” the shorter one said,   
“They’ll have being trained to resist interrogation so the boss’ll have fun with this one.   
“You’ve made a mistake.” Astrid said, “We’re not whoever you think we are. We’re just trying to find our parents.”   
“Sure, and you expect us to just let you go on your word, do you?” Astrid nodded and the men laughed.   
“Sorry sweetheart, Boss’ orders.” There were heavy footsteps heard coming down the stairs. The two men stood at attention, Astrid shrunk further behind Lucy.   
Down the stairs came a man, about 6 foot 4. He was dressed in all leather and black with the same patch on his arms as the soldiers. His face was scarred and red. He had two more guards following him.   
Astrid shrunk back further from them as he walked up to the bars.   
“Ah, what do we have here?” His accent was thick and German. Employing her better judgement, Lucy said nothing. Astrid was too scared to say anything.   
“Not talking, hey? We’ll get your parents locations out of you.”  “I don’t know who you think we are, ugly German man, but we’ve never met our parents. We don’t even know their names. We’re orphans.” Lucy said matter-of-factly. ‘Good fucking work Lucy’ she thought to herself. He laughed,  
“SHIELD have trained you well. But not well enough by the looks of that one.” He looked hard at Astrid for a moment.   
“Listen here, ugly. I told you, we don't know who our parents are. We’re both, to the best of our knowledge, orphans. So if you’d like to tell us who we supposedly are and why we had those things in our arms, I’d be damn interested.”   
“You will not address me in that manor!” He yelled, “I am Red Skull, head of HYDRA and enemy of all.”  
“Nice to meet you, I’m Lucy. Well… apparently.” He clenched his fists,  “Well then, Lucy. I think it’s time I introduced you and your friend to our persuasion methods.” he turned to the guards. “You three know what to do.” The two original guards and one who came down with him all saluted. Red Skull looked back at the girls. “Enjoy.” He smiled evilly at them both before walking back out with the remaining soldier. The three guards looked at them then each other.   
“You two take the red head, I’ll look after the other one.” One ordered the others. They other two grabbed Lucy and dragged her out.   
“Lucy!” Astrid yelled.   
“Oh shut up.” The remaining guard told her, hitting her with the butt of his gun. She whimpered and inched back against the wall. “Better.” He nodded before locking the cell again and walking down the hall. 

They took Lucy to a room down the hall and sat her in a chair.   
“Alright, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way.” One told her, tying her wrists.  
“I already told you, if I knew who my parents were I wouldn’t be in New York.” She pulled at the restraints a little. “Looks like its the hard way.” The other said, smirking.   
“What’re you gonna do, get the red guy to yell at me again?”   
“We have methods of persuasion.” The first hit her in the face, hard. She could feel her eye starting to swell up but she didn’t flinch. She knew it was what they wanted.   
“Is that all you’ve got?” She smiled at them challengingly. The third guard entered.   
“Alright Strelka, give it up. We know who you are.”  “I actually have no idea what you're talking about. What the fuck is a Strelka?” The men all looked at each other then back to her.   
“Listen here, girly. No matter what SHIELD has taught you, if you just tell us what we want to know it’ll be less painful for you.” The tallest one said, inches from her face.   
“You call this painful? I grew up in a kids home in Chicago, I’ve broken more bones than you can name in your body.” Fuming, the guard inhaled heavily.  “We’re going to ask you one more time, Strelka, where. are. your. parents.”   
“I already told you, idiot, I. Don’t. Know. That’s what the whole orphanage thing is for. It’s full of kids who have no idea who their parents are. You got that?”   
“Little brat.” He clenched his jaw and hit her a few more times in the face. Lucy felt her nose crunch and blood drip down. She blew some hair out of her face.   
“Are you seriously trying your hardest? Pathetic.” The three guards turned to each other and spoke in hushed tones before one walked out.   
“Seeing as you're playing tough, we’re gonna have to resort to the next level of persuasion.” Lucy’s face remained unfazed.   
“Do they pay you guys in peanuts? Because the saying ‘if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys’ would really apply here.” Both the guards glared at her, she could tell they were done with her shit. That was how she liked it. The third goon re-entered wielding a hot red piece of metal. Lucy knew this would hurt more than what they’d done before. The guard smiled maliciously,  
“Care to talk now, Strelka?”   
“I still don’t know what Strelka means. If you’d care to explain, it would be most appreciated.” The guard took the piece and pressed it into the back of her arm. It hurt just as much as the times that she’d broken her arm, maybe more, but Lucy was determined not to crack. After a good fifteen seconds, he lifted it off.  “Are you going to talk no-“ He was cut off by his watch beeping. “The replay of the Patriots and the Steelers is about to start, put her back in the cell so we can watch in peace. It’s late, we’ll get something out of her tomorrow.” He told the other two before walking out. The remaining guards untied her and pushed her out. Tired and not paying attention, she tripped and landed on the ground hard.   
“Come on, get up.” One of the guards demanded, kicking her in the ribs before dragging her up and to the cell. Shutting the door, he began to talk to the other guard about the game. Forgetting his keys, they both walked up the stairs.   
Astrid looked at Lucy in horror, the blood rushing from her face. She looked like a bloody mess. Lucy flinched and sat herself up,  
“Lucy, are you alright? Where does it hurt? Can I do anythi-“ Lucy cut Astrid off,   
“A, I’m fine. Promise.” She smiled a little. “Now, what do you say we get out of here?” Astrid nodded reluctantly, not believing a word Lucy said. She could see that she was hurt, she was just too tough to say so. Lucy spotted the keys. “Bingo.”   
“Are you sure you're alright to run?” Lucy pulled herself up,  
“If we don’t run now, we mightn’t have a chance. Come on.” She helped Astrid up and they made their way silently down the hall and up the fire stairs.   
“Even evil lairs have fire escapes, hey?” Lucy laughed a little as the reached the top. The girls opened the door into an alley and ran for it. When they the corner, an alarm sounded. 

They both ran faster than they thought they ever could. Every part of Lucy’s upper body hurt, but she didn’t care if it meant they could get away. She couldn't let it happen to Astrid, after all. They got about a hundred yards before a dozen soldiers started chasing them. Once the girls rounded the second corner, the shots started.   
“What do we do?!” Astrid yelled to Lucy.  “If they catch either of us, the other has to go get help!” She yelled back. Then, Lucy was hit. The guns weren’t loaded with real bullets, but synthetic ones that delivered an electric shock able to knock practically anybody out.  “Lucy!” Astrid yelled. She didn’t want to leave her, but she knew if they were both caught they wouldn’t have a chance. Every fibre of her told her to go back, but Astrid knew that if she did, neither of them would get out again. Some of the guards grabbed Lucy and Astrid kept running. 

She eventually lost the guards and stopped, completely out of breath. It was the middle of the night and the only building with lights on was a sky scraper up ahead. She ran to the door and looked in, nobody. Exhausted, scared and not knowing what to do, Astrid started to cry. She was on the pavement trying to control herself when she heard a voice. “Are you alright?” She looked up in the direction of the voice. A huge blond haired man stood there, Six foot six and built like a block of flats. Muscles that would put a body builder to shame. She’d seen him somewhere before. Astrid wiped her eyes on her sleeve and shook her head.  
“What’s happened?” he asked her, crouching down so he was at her level. She sniffed,  
“My friend… We were kidnapped by these people in uniform… And there was a German man with red skin. We ran but they caught her. They’ll hurt her again but I don’t know how to save her.” He nodded at her,   
“My friends and I can help you, it’s what we do. We’ve dealt with those people before.” He offered her a hand and helped her up, “My names Thor, by the way. Why don’t you come inside.” Astrid sniffed and nodded, then realizing who he was. Thor was one of the avengers; and if anyone could help her, it was them.


	10. Chapter 10 - Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Thor took her up in the elevator to the hundredth floor. The room they walked into was vastly impressive and huge. He sat her down on the couch and handed her a box of tissues,   
“One minute.” He told her before walking off. She nodded then began looking around. There were doors on three of the walls; the fourth was a sloping window that looked out over the New York skyline. All of the doors had names. Astrid couldn’t read the labels as her vision was blurry, but she assumed they belonged to the other avengers. Thor came back in.   
“The others will be out in a minute.” He smiled a little and sat, “I never caught your name.” Astrid put the tissue box down,   
“My names Astrid. I’m here looking for my mom. Her name’s Jane Foster.” His jaw dropped a little,  
“Jane Foster? Doctor Jane Foster?” Astrid nodded,   
“Yeah. She’s an astrophysicist. Why? Do you know her?” Thor nodded, choosing his words carefully, he couldn’t believe that after almost 16 years, his daughter had accidentally found herself on his doorstep. He was ecstatic, but wanted to tell Jane before telling her the truth.   
“Yes, I’ve met her many times.”   
Their exchange was interrupted by the entry of the other avengers.They all stood across the room and looked at them both.   
“Care to explain what’s gone on that’s so vital you wake us up at 2am?” Tony asked, a severely unimpressed look on his face.   
“The man’ll have his reasons.” Bruce said, yawning.  “You should all sit down.” He told them. They all did.   
“I found this young lady outside, she told me that she and her friend were kidnapped by HYDRA. Her friend is still with them.” They all nodded,  
“It’s very good luck you got away, isn't it?” Bruce said.   
“I suppose you want us to go rescue the other girl?” Natasha asked, tying her hair up. Thor nodded,  “Seeing as Steve is in charge, it’s his call. But Red Skull is there so it may be a good idea.” They all nodded.  “Well, I’m going back to bed seeing as I won’t be invited on the mission anyway.” Tony declared before walking back out. “Drama queen…” Bucky mumbled. Clint snickered.  “We’ll arrange it in the morning. See if we can work out their location then. If that’s alright with everyone.” They all nodded again. “You can put her up in the spare room, she looks like she needs some rest.” Steve smiled a little at Astrid.   
“Thank you. Sorry for waking you all up.” Thor said standing.   
“It’s only alright because it’s you, buddy.” Clint told him. The others all got up and walked off back to bed, leaving Thor and Astrid.  “Is your eye alright?” He asked, taking her to the spare room down the hall.   
“It’s a little sore but I’m fine.” She assured him, he nodded. “I’ll get someone to look at it in the morning. Meanwhile, you should get some sleep.”   
“Thanks. I will.” Astrid said, sitting and taking off her shoes. Thor smiled,   
“Good night, Astrid.” He told her. She got into bed,  “Good night. Thank you. ” 

—

Thor was awake early the next morning. He could hear the others moving around outside his door, he wondered how they all coped with waking up so early in the morning. When he emerged, he was almost immediately met by Steve. He smiled a little at the taller man,  
“Morning Thor, meeting in 10 if that’s alright.” Thor nodded,  
“Of course. Let Astrid sleep if she isn’t already up, though.” Steve nodded back and walked off in Bucky’s direction. Those two were inseparable the majority of the time. Thor made himself cereal, the kind that only an eight year old or Clint would ever want to buy, and went to the meeting room where he was met by the others, bar Tony. He nodded at them all and sat.   
“Morning team.” Steve said standing up, “So, we need a plan of action.” Natasha raised her hand before speaking,  
“How do we know this isn’t a trap? HYDRA have used kids before. How do we know she isn’t lying?”   
“She has a point.” Bruce added. Steve chewed on his lip, thinking.   
“I know, trust me.” Thor told them.   
“How can you be sure?” Clint asked him, chewing on his thumb nail.  
“Because she’s my daughter.” Thor immediately regretted his words, He wasn’t planning on telling the others until after Jane. He put a hand over his mouth. The others were silent for a moment,   
“When’d you work that one out?” Bucky broke the silence. “Last night. She told me who her mother was. I wasn’t going to tell you until after I told Jane.” They all nodded slowly.   
“Congratulations.” Bruce smiled a little,  
“Thanks.” Thor smiled back.   
“So, we’ve established that this is, as the kids say, ‘legit’.” Steve said, making quotation marks with his hands. Bucky face palmed, Clint snickered.   
“Who’re we sending in, Steve?” Natasha interjected, hitting Clint’s arm.   
“I thought you, me, Clint, and Bucky. If that’s alright with everyone. Seeing as it’s a recovery mission.” They all nodded in agreement,   
“And we’ll ask her to try remember where it was?” Bucky asked, fixing his hair. Steve nodded,  
“That’s right, boo.” Bucky blushed furiously. “Until we have more information, I guess that’s all we can work out. Go rest up guys.” He put a hand on Bucky’s shoulder. They all nodded before getting up and leaving Steve and Bucky alone. Thor grabbed his jacket and some money,   
“Where’re you off to?” Clint asked from the couch. “To see Jane. Natasha, can you check Astrid’s eye when she wakes up?” Nat nodded,  
“Sure thing, thunder boy.” He laughed a little,  
“Thanks. Oh and uh… Please no one tell her. About Jane and I… I want to wait a little.” The present parties nodded and Thor got in the elevator.


	11. Chapter 11 - The Only Hope For Me Is You

Thor arrived at Jane’s house within the hour, knocking twice. He’d been there the night before, which was why he arrived back at such a late hour, causing his finding Astrid. Jane answered the door half asleep, but smiled when she saw him.  
“Morning.” She pecked his cheek,   
“Good morning.” He smiled back, “I have some news, can I come in?” She nodded and opened the door further, he entered.   
They both went to the kitchen and Thor sat. “Coffee?” She asked, he nodded.  
“Why not.” She started making it.  
“So, what’s your news? Nothing’s wrong, is it?” He shook his head,  
“No no, it’s good news. But you should sit down first.” Jane handed him the drink and sat opposite.   
“Alright… Shoot.” She told him. Thor smiled,  
“Jane, I found her.” She furrowed her eyebrows,  
“Found who?” Thor could feel himself starting to tear up, he held her hand across the table.  
“I found Astrid.” Jane smiled in disbelief and put a hand over her mouth,  
“You… But… How? Are you sure?” He nodded, wiping his eye.   
“She looks just like you.” He told her, “She came to the tower last night, completely by accident. She was looking for you. Us.” Jane smiled even wider as tears began to roll down her cheeks.  
“Our baby…” The couple got up and hugged. They were both smiling at each other while crying. Thor wiped her cheek,  
“You should come see her. She’ll probably sleep most of today but when she’s up, you should come. She wants to meet you more than anything.” Jane nodded profusely,   
“Of course. I just can’t believe it… After all this time.”   
“I know. It’s a miracle. I told you she’d come back, didn’t I?” They stood hugging and crying for a while, in joyous disbelief that they'd finally found their lost daughter. 

 

Lucy woke up back in a cell. Groaning, she sat up and looked around. It was the same one as before, but Astrid wasn't there. Lucy figured she must’ve got away. Even if no one came back for her, she took comfort in knowing Astrid would be safe and that she’d finally find her mother. Footsteps made their way down the stairs, there were more than before.   
Red Skull appeared surrounded by 5 new guards. He walked up to the bars.   
“You think you can escape us?” He laughed, “You’re mistaken, Strelka.” “Can someone tell me what the fuck that means?!”   
“You know what it is very well you little brat. I’d kill you if your friend was still here, but as she got away we’ll just have to make you talk instead.” “I already told you, idiot, you obviously know more than I do about who I am.”   
“Silence!” He yelled, one of the guards jumped a little. Wimp. Red Skull turned to the guards, “You know what to do.” He said before walking out.   
“What happened to the idiots from yesterday?” Lucy asked as they dragged her out.  “They were eliminated due to their misconduct.” One replied, robotically.  
“Aren’t you just the life of the party…” she mumbled. They tied her to the same chair as the time vefore. “You’re all so the same. Same rooms. Same vacant expressions. Same bad haircuts. Is being a sheep part of the job description?”   
“Oh shut up.” One of them said, bending her fingers backwards. “That’s new.” she said, looking up at him unfazed.   
“God she's annoying.” Another said.   
“I’m glad you understand how it’s going to be.” Lucy smirked. They all groaned a little.   
After a few hours of getting absolutely nowhere with the interrogation, they took her back to her cell. These guys were better than the ones before, if you were looking to get information out of someone that is.  “Same time tomorrow then boys?” She sat herself up, one came towards her with a large needle.  
“If you live that long.” He said before sticking it into her neck. Everything went black. 

 

Astrid woke up in the mid afternoon with a jolt. She looked around frantically, before remembering where she was. She thought back to what had happened the night before; she regretted running, definitely, but at least now they could actually rescue Lucy. Astrid walked out of the room and down the hall before stumbling on the big room from the night before. She looked around and noticed two people looking at her from the couch, a man and a woman. They were both reasonably short, the man had short blondish hair, the woman had red. She knew that they were avengers but couldn't remember their names for the life of her. The man smiled,   
“Sleep well?” She nodded,  
“Yeah I did, thanks… Where are the others?”   
“Off being vain, training, training, in his lab and visiting his girlfriend.” The woman said, counting off on her fingers. The man laughed a little and stood up,  
“You hungry?” Astrid nodded furiously, “I’ll make you something to eat while Natasha looks at your eye. I’m Clint by the way.”   
“Nice to meet you.” Astrid said, following them to the kitchen.  
“Just sit down over there and tell me what you'd like” Clint said with his head in the fridge. Astrid did as she was told and sat down, “I’ll eat anything, I’m starved.”   
“Damn you're easy to please.” He said carrying a bunch of things out of the fridge. Natasha sat next to her, “Can I take a look?” She asked. Astrid turned to her. “Hmmm… What’d they hit you with?”   
“The end of a gun.” Astrid shrugged, “It’s fine it’s just sore.” Natasha nodded,  
“Well you didn’t break anything so you should be fine.” Astrid smiled a little,  
“Thanks.”   
“Nat, you want anything?” Clint asked from across the room,   
“Yeah okay. Only because we probably won’t eat before we leave.”   
“Also because my cooking is superb.” He told them just as something set on fire. “Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.” Astrid laughed a little. Natasha stood up,  “We’ll leave you to it, master chef, I’ll get Astrid something that isn’t ripped and dirty to wear.” Clint put out the flaming pan,  
“Alrighty. Take your time.” Natasha rolled her eyes and they walked down the hall.  
“He seems nice.” Astrid said. Natasha nodded, unlocking a closet. “He is.” She opened it, “Pick something out that’ll fit. If you wanna take a shower there’s one two doors down on the left.” Natasha stepped back. “Thanks.” Astrid told her, stepping closer to the closet. “You’re awfully polite aren't you?” She leant against the wall behind them.   
“I guess?” She shrugged, “That’s not a bad thing, right?”   
“No way, just a statement.” Astrid pulled out some clothes.  “I’m gonna go shower. Thanks Natasha.”  “No problem.” She nodded and walked off. Astrid went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She looked pretty awful to say the least. Her eye was bright purple, she was pale and looked like she’d been awake for the last 200 years. She sighed and got in the shower, at least now with the avengers help she had a chance at finding Lucy. 

Astrid went back to the kitchen to find two more guys sitting at the table. They were both 6 foot a lot and very muscular, covered in sweat. Natasha walked in from the other door,  “Steve, get your shield off the table.” She told him. The blond haired one did as she said,  
“Sorry Nat.” The sitting blond said. Clint spotted Astrid standing at the door,   
“Sit down Astrid, they don’t bite. It’ll be ready in three seconds.” She nodded and sat down opposite the other two.   
“Hey, I’m Steve. Nice to see you’re awake.” The blond one smiled at her.   
“I’m Bucky.” The other one, who Astrid only noticed at that moment had a metal arm, added. She nodded,  
“It’s nice to meet you both.”   
“You too. We will return.” Steve and Bucky both stood up and walked out. Clint handed her a plate of food and she started eating at a million miles an hour. Clint laughed,  
“Woah there, you really are hungry.” She nodded and kept eating. 5 minutes later and the whole plate was gone. “That better?” He sat himself on the bench top and dangled his feet off the edge. “Yeah. Thank you.” He jumped down.   
“Natasha was right, you are very polite.” He shrugged, “Must be because Chicago is so close to Canada.”   
“Something like that.” Astrid agreed. He started to lead her down the hall.   
“Do you think you could remember which way you ran from?” He asked.  
“Probably. I could show you on a map if I tried.”  “Excellent.” He said, opening a door to a large meeting room, “Take a seat, the others’ll be here in a second.” He sat down in one of the chairs and started spinning in a circle. Astrid laughed. The others walked in and snickered as they sat down.   
“Having fun there?” Natasha raised an eyebrow at him and sat down.  “Always, dearest.” He stopped spinning and winked at her. Steve got up, “Right, so, we know why we’re all here… That part is quite obvious. So us four will be going on the mission, and Miss Astrid will try her best to remember where the base is located. We’ve got it down to a six block radius where it could be but we’ll need you to try remember. Is that alright?” Astrid nodded,  
“Sure. I can do that. Just get Lucy back please.” Steve nodded,   
“Of course.” Natasha brought up a map onto the big projection screen.   
“Whenever you’re ready.” Clint told her. She stood up and looked at it closely.  
“We turned right out of the alley, then left, then Lucy got hit so I ran… right and up three blocks, then right then left then right. Then I was about,” She pointed at a building she recognised, “On that corner there. From there I came here.”   
“I’m impressed…” Clint said. They all looked at her in slight awe.  
“You’re not half bad, kid.” Bucky added. Natasha punched a few things into the computer and a route came up on the screen.  “That’s our target, boys. You did well Astrid.”   
“Go get some rest, we’ll work it out from here.” Clint told her, she nodded and left. She trusted the avengers, and hoped with everything she had that they’d get Lucy back alive.


	12. Chapter 12 - Lost And Found

Steve, Natasha, Clint and James made a plan. It was by no means foolproof but they liked their chances. They planned to leave late at night so they’d have a better chance of catching them off guard. Steve and Bucky sat in the gear room getting ready.   
“So, we’ll go in, find her and get her out alive, while Nat and Clint keep as many guards away as possible? Sounds a bit like a suicide mission.” Bucky told Steve, polishing his arm. Steve sat next to him,   
“We’ll be fine because we’re the best at what we do. Remember?” Bucky laughed a little, “Also, Natasha and Clint won’t let those guards anywhere near us. We’ll be fine.” Steve put a hand on his good shoulder and smiled a little. Bucky nodded,  
“Alright. I trust them. I trust you.” He told Steve, smiling a little at him. He was still as cute as the first day they met. Post brainwashing that is. He would never be as cute and innocent as he was before he became Captain America though. Bucky was alright with that though, he loved this Steve just as much as the other. Steve held his hand,  
“I trust you too.” He pecked his cheek, “Now, we’ve gotta skedaddle so we can get this done.” Bucky laughed a little and shook his head,  
“Only you, Steve Rogers.” He picked up Steve’s shield and gave it to him, “Let’s go.” 

The pair met Clint and Natasha before driving to the HYDRA base.   
“Everyone ready?” Steve asked, Clint held Natasha’s hand. “You know it buddy.” He nodded. They all got out and headed for the door,  
“They’ll be keeping her down a few floors, we’ll head down if you two can keep them occupied.” Bucky said, they all nodded. “You know that’s what we’re best at.” Clint winked. Steve forced the door. They all went in quickly, then there was nothing for a few seconds. “Weird…” Clint looked around, “You sure this is the right address?” “Well there’s a big HYDRA insignia on the wall, so you tell me.” Natasha told him, pointing it out. Then, an alarm sounded.   
“Good luck guys.” Steve told them before taking Bucky’s arm and running off down the stairs. They ran to the bottom level and we’re greater by a dozen or so armed guards, “Show time.” Bucky said. They began to fight their way through. Steve knocked two of the guards over with his shield,  
“Bucky, go find her I’ll hold ‘em off!” He yelled. Bucky nodded and ran off down the hall. At the end, the corridor split into left and right.  “Uh…” Bucky looked around before deciding to go left first. He ran down and check all the cells, empty. He ran back, avoiding the fight, and went the other way. He checked all the cells, his eyes scanning down the row. In the cell at the end, there was a girl. Bucky assumed this must be her. He broke the door off its hinges and threw it to the side. The girl looked badly beat up and Bucky could see she’d been drugged.   
“Steve, Honey?” He called. Steve hit another guard,  
“I’m a little busy, Boo Bear!”   
“I found her! Gimmie a hand here?” Steve knocked out the last few guards and came down the hall. He leant against the door, catching his breath. She groaned a little,  
“Are you okay to carry her?” Steve checked behind him for more guards. Bucky nodded,  
“Yeah, course.” He tried to pick her up, she stirred again and the next second, punched him in the face. She mumbled inaudibly and Bucky put her back down.  
“God dammit she hits hard!” He rubbed his face, Steve laughed a little. “I can carry her. Is your face alright?” Steve picked up the girl and looked at Bucky in concern. He spotted a necklace next her and put it in his sleeve. Bucky smiled and shook his head.  “I’m fine,” He laughed a little, “Didn’t expect that. Let’s get out of here.” They both went up the fire stairs and out without being spotted by the guards. They made it back to the van. “I’ll lay her in the back you radio the others.” Steve told Bucky. They both did that and a minute or two later, Natasha and Clint ran out. They both jumped into the back seat and Steve drove off.  “That went well.” Clint said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.   
“You’re telling me.” Bucky rubbed his cheek again. “She hit him in the face.” Steve cracked a smile. Clint laughed,  
“Seriously?!”   
“Just shut up and let’s get her to the hospital.”   
They drove in silence for a while until they got to the hospital. Steve pulled up at the front.   
“I’ll take her, you guys wait here.” They all nodded,  
“Can’t risk Bucky getting punched in the face again.” Clint laughed,   
“Shut up bird brain.”  “Boys, be nice.” Natasha glared at them both. They both shrunk back into their seats a little. “Sorry pumpkin…” Clint grimaced. Steve laughed a little to himself and took her inside. At least they knew they’d rescued Astrid’s friend. 

 

Astrid woke up the next morning, suddenly. After a few moments, she remembered where she was again. Steve, Bucky, Natasha and Clint were supposed to have gone to try rescue Lucy. She had no idea if they’d succeeded or not. Astrid quickly got dressed and walked out to the common room. Bruce was there.   
“Morning Astrid. Thor’ll be up in a minute. I believe he has some news.” He sipped his coffee. Astrid nodded and sat on the couch. She was so nervous she was physically shaking. Her stomach was doing backflips. She couldn’t stop thinking about what might’ve happened to Lucy. At that moment, the lift doors opened. They revealed Thor and a woman. She was about 5 foot 6, tanned, and very pretty. Thor smiled a little,   
“Astrid, I’d like you to meet someone. This is Jane Foster.” Astrid smiled in disbelief. She ran up to the woman and hugged her. Her mother. After all this time. Ever since she would remember, Astrid has wondered about her. Now, finally, she got to meet her again. Jane started crying as she hugged Astrid. She was over the moon at seeing her daughter again.  “My god… You’re so big. I missed you so much.” Astrid wiped a tear away from her eye. “I missed you too.” They both stepped back a little and looked at each other.   
“God you look like your dad… Thor, get over here.” Astrid looked at them both in disbelief for a moment. She couldn’t be serious.  
“You’re… My… But…” Thor smiled, wiping a tear away. He put an arm around Jane and nodded,  
“It’s good to see you again, sweetheart.” Astrid hugged them both again, not wanting to let go of either of them. She had parents. They were real. And they were with her again. Finally. She didn’t realize that she was crying again but when she did she wasn’t surprised. She was so happy that she’d found her parents. That they were finally here.  “I missed you guys.” She sniffed,  
“We missed you too. Every day.” Thor handed her a tissue. She laughed a little,  
“Thanks.” 

They all went and sat on the sofa. “We should explain ourselves.” Jane began. Astrid shook her head. “You don’t need to. It’s okay. I get it. I’m just glad you’re here now.” They both nodded at her. Thor held Jane’s hand.  
“They found your friend. Last night. She’s in the hospital if you’d like to see her.” Astrid smiled a little more and nodded.   
“She’s the only reason I found you guys. I’m glad she’s okay.”   
“I can take you to see her if you’d like.” Jane told her. She nodded,   
“If it’s not too much trouble.”  “Sweetheart, we’d go to the ends of the earth for you.” She smiled. Astrid nodded again.   
“I’ll go get my shoes.” She got up and walked out. Thor squeezed Jane’s hand. “I told you she was great.” Jane put a head on his shoulder.  “I never doubted you for a second.”


	13. Chapter 13 - Hospital Room

Jane took Astrid to the hospital. Her sneakers squeaked on the floor as they walked in. The smell of antiseptic hung heavily in the air. Astrid had the worst nervous butterflies not knowing what’d happened to Lucy. The pair walked up to the front desk. “Hello uh, I’m looking for my friend Lucy? Lucy Hite. Captain America bought her in last night.” The nurse behind the desk nodded,  
“We were wondering when someone was going to come in for her. She's on the second floor, room 16B. Are you family?” Astrid nodded a little.  
“The closest she’s got.” Jane and Astrid got in the elevator.   
“Is Lucy looking for her parents too?” She nodded,  
“Yeah, but her file was empty so she hasn’t got anything to go on. She acts like she’s okay with it but she’s not.” Astrid sighed a little, “She’s great though.” The lift stopped and they both got out and walked down the hallway to the room the receptionist had told them. Astrid opened the door.  “If you’re gonna try give me more drugs, I don't want the- Hey stranger.” Lucy smiled from the bed. She looked awful. She was pale and had two black eyes, her arms were bandaged and she looked like death warmed up. Astrid ran and hugged her.  
“I’m so glad you're okay.” Lucy laughed a little, “It’s good to see you. And I’m guessing this is your mom, yeah? It’s nice to meet you, I’m the miscreant who dragged your daughter half way across the country.” She hugged Astrid. Jane smiled and nodded,  
“I’m Jane. Thank you, Lucy.”   
“What’d they do to you? Are you okay?” Astrid sat on the side of the bed. Lucy sat herself up a little more.   
“Well, got a bunch of second degree burns, apparently I bruised my ribs and cracked one, got a little concussion, almost broke my nose.” She shrugged, “I’ve had worse. They weren't even trying. Enough about me, have you met your dad? How the hell did you get the avengers to help you?” Jane got up,  “I’ll let you two catch up. I’ll be in the cafeteria if you need me.” They both nodded and she walked out. “She seems nice.” Astrid nodded,  
“She is, yeah.”  “Fantastic. I’m super happy for you A. Now answer my god damn questions.” Astrid laughed a little,  
“Okay okay…” Astrid told Lucy the story of what’d happened since she last saw her. Lucy looked at her wide eyed,  
“Your dad is a fucking GOD?! Holy shit man that’s… Fuck.” Astrid laughed,  
“I know, right? Who’d have ever thought.”   
“That’s… Wow… I can’t get over that. You’ll have to thank them all for me. Except Stark, he’s a bit of an ass face.” Astrid laughed a little,  
“Don’t worry I will. Wait, where are you going?” Lucy shrugged.  
“Back to Chicago probably. I haven’t exactly got anywhere else to go.” Astrid frowned.  
“Oh… Okay. I’ll come visit you, though.”   
“I’d like that. Don’t be sad, Astrid. You’ve got so much to be happy about. Besides, I’ve sorta accepted I’ll never find them. It’s a childish fantasy. I’ve gotta move on.” Astrid could see the hurt in Lucy’s eyes. She knew that she’d never admit it, but she was torn up inside that she’d never find her parents. Astrid wished she could do something about it. “What happened to your necklace?” She noticed the other girl wasn't wearing it. She hadn’t taken it off since she’d found it, so it was odd that Lucy wasn’t wearing it. She shrugged,  
“Dunno. Must’ve fallen off back at HYDRA. It’s alright though. It’d just be a reminder anyway.” Astrid nodded and hugged her again.  
“I’m really gonna miss you.”   
“I’m really gonna miss you too. I’ll send you a letter once they transfer me 9 times and I know where I’m gonna stay, yeah?” Lucy laughed a little, Astrid nodded.   
“When’re you leaving?” Astrid kept hugging Lucy so she wouldn’t see her tears.  “They said they’ll discharge me soon, theres a bus in a few hours so then I guess. I’ve got it all worked out. Don’t cry Astrid.” Lucy pulled back and handed her a tissue, “You found your family. This is what you’ve always wanted. Grab it with both hands and run with it, yeah? Enjoy yourself.” Astrid nodded and sniffed.  “Alright. You’d better call me some time though. I’ll miss your smart remarks.”   
“And I’ll miss your level headed politeness. You should go find you mom.” Astrid nodded.   
“I’ll see you soon, yeah.” Lucy smiled and nodded,  
“Always, Astrid.”   
Astrid smiled a little and walked out. Lucy waited until she couldn’t hear her footsteps anymore before bursting into tears. She’d lied to Astrid. She had no plan. She had no idea what to do. She was unwanted. She always had been. But up until now, she’d had hope. Now, she had none. And that terrified her.


	14. Chapter 14 - Homecoming

Back at the tower, everyone was tired. Steve, Bucky, Natasha and Clint were in zombie mode. They were all sat on the couch, staring at nothing. Clint was chewing slowly on a bowl of sugary kids cereal. Bruce walked in,  
“Hey Nat, is this yours? It was in the washer.” He held up the necklace Steve had found in the HYDRA cell the day before. Natasha narrowed her eyes,  
“No… I’m wearing mine…” Steve stood up. “I found that with Astrid’s friend, Lucy. I’ll have to mail it to her.” Natasha snatched it from his hands and examined it.   
“Steven god damn Rogers I swear to Asgard…”   
“What? What’d I do?” Steve looked at her in confusion. Natasha half ran out and headed for Fury’s office, she knew he’d have just arrived back. Clint ran after her. “Natasha wait!” he caught up to her, “What is it?” She held up the necklace,   
“It’s the same, Clint. But it has the words on it. Just like hers.” Clint looked at it wide eyed,  
“Fuck…” They went to Fury’s office. Clint went to knock but Natasha just walked in. Fury looked up from his papers,  
“Ah. Clint, Natasha, good to see you.”  “What’d you call her. Strelka, what’d you call her on her papers.” He narrowed his eye at her slightly,   
“Lucy. Lucy Hite. Why?” Natasha froze. She was there. She was in the car with them but they had no idea. “Go find her Natasha, Clint.” Fury told them both, “I made a mistake.” “Thank you, sir.” Clint grinned and pulled Natasha out. They hugged each other tightly.   
“Clint, we’ve gotta go find her.” He smiled and squeezed her hand. “I’m right behind you.” 

 

Lucy got off the bus in Chicago alone. She was really happy for Astrid but knew she’d be dead when she went back to the home, but it wouldn’t be anything vastly new. She sat down to tie her shoe and when she got up, two of the avengers were standing in front of her. She looked at them in confusion,   
“Can I help you?” She remembered that Astrid had told her those two were Black Widow and Hawkeye. She still hadn’t got her head around the concept that Astrid was a god.  
“Is this yours? Ste-Captain America found it when they rescued you.” Hawkeye said holding up her necklace. She smiled a little and nodded,  
“Yeah thats mine. Thought I’d lost it.” She took it and put it back on, “Thanks.” The pair of heros looked at each other.  “Was there anything else you wanted..?” Black Widow opened her mouth before she was cut off,   
“The guys, and Astrid, just wanted us to make sure you were alright. Had a place to stay and all that.” Lucy narrowed her eyes slightly at them then shrugged,  
“Well, no. But don’t tell Astrid that. I’ll work something out though, I always do.” They both nodded, still shooting each other looks,   
“Where’d you get the necklace from?” Widow asked.  “It was in my file, I’m assuming it came from my parents but I’ve got no idea because everything else was empty. I haven’t even got a real name.” She shrugged, trying to not let the hurt show on her face. “Anyway, I’ll let you two get back to saving the world. Thanks for bringing it back.” Lucy picked up her bag and started to walk off.  “Strelka.” Hawkeye called after her, she turned.  
“What does that mean? The HYDRA soldiers kept saying it.”   
“It’s your name. Strelka Romanova Barton.” He smiled a little. She looked at the pair in disbelief. Were they telling the truth or just messing with her? Something inside her knew that they were who she’d been looking for. Her lip quivered, she didn’t want to cry in front of them but she couldn’t not. After all this time. After thinking she was alone in the world, she had found her parents. Natasha and Clint looked at the teary eyed girl nervously.  
“Sweetheart… Say something…” Clint bit his lip.   
Lucy simply ran to them and hugged them both, more tears running down her face. Natasha and Clint wrapped themselves around her from either side. Nat started stroking her hair,  
“Shhh it’s okay darling… It’s alright. We’re not leaving, we promise.” Clint looked over at her and laughed a little,  
“Nat, you’re crying.”   
“So’re you, Clint.” She sniffed a little.  
“Yeah but… you’re crying.”   
“Oh bite me, Barton.”   
“Can you just hug me for a minute here?!” Lucy asked, half annoyed.  “Of course St- would you prefer we call you Strelka or Lucy?” She thought for a second.  
“Strelka. I’m done with being Lucy.” The both nodded.   
“Well, Strelka, Let’s get you home.”


	15. Chapter 15 - End Or Beginning?

Strelka woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar room. She looked around then out the window- she was back in New York. This confirmed for her that last night wasn't a dream. She walked out into the hall and looked around. There was talking from her left so she followed the sound and ended up in a kitchen. Her parents were sitting at the table with a few other avengers. Clint smiled as he saw her.  
"Morning sleepy head."  
"Morning dad." She smiled a little at the word rolling off her tongue. Dad. She liked it.  
"Come sit. We wanna introduce you to some people." She nodded and sat in the next chair to him.   
"This is Steve, Bucky, and Bruce. Guys, this is Strelka." He pointed at them, smiling proudly and holding Natasha's hand.  
"It's nice to finally meet you, Strelka." The guy with glasses, Bruce said.   
"Good to see you're feeling a little better." Steve, who was blond, smiled.   
"Thanks." She nodded at both of them.  
"You punched me in the face." The one with longer brown hair and a metal arm said slightly bitterly. That was Bucky. The blond one laughed.  
"Bucky's just grouchy. He's happy you're ok too.”  
“Sure I am… My face still hurts tho.” He sat hunched over. “Join the club man. We should get t shirts.” Strelka said casually. Clint laughed to himself. Bruce stood up,  
“You’re definitely his kid. I’m gonna go get some work done I’ll see you guys later.” He walked out.   
“We should train. You three have fun.” Steve and Bucky stood up and walked out the opposite door to Bruce. Clint got up.  
“You girls hungry?”   
“Starved.” Strelka nodded profusely. “Sure. Depends what you’re making.” Natasha fixed her hair. “Whatever your want me to, pumpkin.” They looked at him in unease.  
“Clint, you’re acting weird.”   
“Yikes! You both give the same looks.” He shivered, “Alright, I’ll tone down the happy if it’ll make you feel better.” He started getting things out of the refrigerator.   
“So… What is it that you guys do. Like as a job.” Strelka started picking at the bandage on her arm.  
“Well… I’m an assassin, among other things. Your mother is too, she’s also one of the best spies in the world.”   
“That’s so cool…”   
“We are pretty cool, aren’t we honey?” Clint grinned stupidly.  
“If you say so, Barton.”  
“From what I hear, and Bucky’s face, it appears kick-ass-ness runs in the family.” Strelka shrugged,  
“I can hold my own in a fight, if that’s what you’re implying.”   
“You should show us some time.” Natasha sipped her coffee. Clint grinned,  
“That’d be awesome. Then like… She could join Shield, and we could assassinate as a family! It’s perfect!”   
“She isn’t joining Shield, Clint.”   
“But… In theory… I could work for Shield? Because like, I can fight and all that stuff… If I wanted to that was.” Strelka said, chewing on her thumbnail.  
“You don’t wanna join Shield, honey. Your dad is joking.” Natasha looked at her seriously then shot a look at Clint.   
“It was just an idea… Mostly so I wouldn’t have to go back to high school.”   
“Sorry sweetheart, but you’re gonna finish school. Then you can figure out what you wanna do.” Clint handed them both plates of food and sat down.   
“But-“ “No buts, young lady.” Natasha told her, picking up her fork. Strelka sighed. The more she thought about it, the better joining Shield sounded.   
“That being said, it would be a good idea for someone to train you. Just in case anything happens again. I know that you can fight but some extra skills never hurt anybody.” Clint started to tap his fingers on the table. Natasha pursed her lips.  
“That’d be smart. Because of us and all… Alright, you can train. But you have to still go to school and no more talk about joining Shield until your older.”   
“Sounds like a plan to me. Strelka?” They both looked at her. She nodded,  
“Alright. Deal. Who’ll train me though?”   
“That’s easy.” Clint stole a piece of toast from Natasha, “Bucky.” “But he doesn’t even like me?”   
“Don’t talk with your mouth full. And he’ll just take some time to warm up to you.”   
“He tried to kill us the first time he met us.” Clint shrugged, “Steve too.”   
“Alright.” She shrugged, “If you trust him then I do too.” 

 

Bucky broke another boxing bag. Steve laughed as he moved it to the side.  “Someone’s in a good mood today.”   
“I’m just tired. And my face hurts.” Steve raised an eyebrow. “Bucky, Honey, She’s 16. She can’t’ve hit you that hard.”   
“Yeah but look at her parents. I’m not surprised she can pack a punch to be honest.” Steve put a hand on his shoulder. “Still. It’ll be better in a few days. Promise.” He nodded,  
“I know… Her technique is rubbish though.” Steve rolled his eyes,  
“I don’t remember you being a perfect fighter when you were 16 either, Mr master assassin.” Bucky hit his arm lightly,  
“Oh shush you.” Clint appeared in the doorway. “If you two are being romantic and icky, we can come back.”   
“No no, come on in.” Steve nodded, not taking his hand off Bucky’s shoulder. Clint entered followed by Natasha and Strelka. “What can we do for you guys?”   
“Well… We need a favour.” Clint began, picking his words carefully.  
“Yeah? What can we do.” Bucky asked fixing his hair.   
“Well, Uh…” Clint was cut off by Strelka.  
“Could you train me? Like, to fight properly.” Steve and Bucky looked at each other.  
“It’s possible.” Steve told them. Bucky shot him a ‘what the fuck are you doing’ look.  
“Come on Bucky, it’ll be good. Promise.”  “Why should I agree? You punched me in the face.” He crossed his arms.  
“We’ve bonded now! That punch was the start of a wonderful friendship.” Clint snickered and Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. Bucky sighed a little,  
“I’ll do it, but you’ve gotta put in 120%. No messing around. Alright?” Strelka nodded and shook his hand. “You can count on it.” 

 

A.N- This is the final chapter of Empty Files! This story has being my labor of love for quite a while now and I'm glad this part is finally published. HOWEVER- THERE IS A SEQUEL. That's right kids. The sequel will be called "Strelka- Agent Of Shield" (& I think I actually like it more than this story)  
So if you wanna see Stevebucky, ass kicking, Tony Stark's son get his nose broken & lots more fun shit then stay tuned! the first chapter should be up super soon. Thank you all for reading this fic. I hope you liked reading as much as I liked writing it. Stay tuned for more sports fans! xoxoRiley


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